THE UK's best selling car - the Ford Fiesta - continues its popularity and with an all-new model arriving in July the man responsible for the exterior styling and overall looks of the new car admits it's been tough to come up with a fresh face.

Ivan Telesca, the Fiesta's exterior designer, said that having spent the best part of the past five years on the design of the new car he was sure it would continue to dominated the supermini sector.

"Compared to when the first Fiesta was launched back in the mid Seventies everything has changed dramatically and car design, engineering and its finishing has moved on at such a remarkable pace it‘s been difficult to keep up," he said.

"Everyone has fallen in love with the subsequent Fiesta models over the years and it's been really, really hard to improve in design and terms of looks to come up with something that fresh and invigorating this time around.

"But the competition out there is continuing to become increasing competitive at the same time as motorists demand more for their money and want all the latest environmental, engineering and technology encompassed on their new Fiesta," he continued.

"I think with this new Fiesta we have created a far better looking car, with major styling changes to both the front and rear ends, whilst trying to create more room inside for the driver and passenger."

Speaking at Ravensbourne College, London where design students have been involved in a competition to come up with an interior design of their own for possible future Fiesta models, he said: "It's extremely difficult in creating a new look for the Fiesta but we think we have come up with the answers in that the body lines of the new car are better sculptured and it looks really fresh and new.

"Obviously as designers we had to be conscious that the thousands of existing Fiesta car buyers still wanted a car that was easily recognisable to them whilst also offering some entirely new to those who have not bought a Fiesta in the past.

"In a sense I believe we have come out with a smart and stylish new Fiesta that in essence has ‘grown up' in so many ways."

Telesca said with better aerodynamics, more fuel efficient engines on offer along with a much improved interior layout with more passenger comfort the new Fiesta would appeal to even more buyers than it has in the past.

"The Fiesta has without doubt been a huge success story for Ford everywhere and we believe that this new model breaks new ground in so many areas that it will again be the supermini to beat all others."

He added: "It will continue to be really tough for designers like myself and my engineering and technology colleagues to keep coming up with something truly different in terms of the Fiesta sector to maintain its important top selling role."

Three of the Ravensbourne College teams have now been selected to submit their interior design ideas to Ford's European design centre in Cologne, Germany, where the eventual winning team will be invited over to show off their efforts with top experts from Ford's own design team.

The three concepts designed by the students are called Dies Nox created by students Vincezo Damtato and Meryl Le Fleur which has three variable interior configurations, the Nomad, by Thomas Christie, Shpend Pashtriku and Onur Celik which features sensory technology for occupant comfort and the Iris concept by Cansu Bal, Seniz Veli and Erdi Bal which has been inspired by legendary fashionista Iris Apfel.